International Economic Law

— United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL)

The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) was established by the General Assembly in 1966.

When establishing the Commission the General Assembly recognized that differences in national laws governing international trade pose obstacles to trade flows, and it viewed the Commission as a means by which the United Nations could play a more active role in reducing or eliminating these obstacles.

Main spheres of UNCITRAL activities are:

♦ International sale of goods and related transactions;
♦ International transportation of goods;
♦ International commercial arbitration and mediation;
♦ Resolution of disputes between the investor and the state;
♦ Government procurement and infrastructure development;
♦ Construction contracts;
♦ International payments;
♦ Electronic commerce;
♦ Insolvency and bankruptcy.

The Republic of Belarus has been a member of UNCITRAL since 2004 and actively participates in the work of the Commission.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with UNCITRAL with the support of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Belarus to the international organizations in Vienna organized a regional conference on arbitration and mediation on December 4-5, 2018 in Minsk.

The National Center for Legal Information, the Belarusian Republican Union of Lawyers and the UN Office in Belarus were among the partners of the conference.

The purpose of the event was to help the states of our region to establish contacts with international arbitration bodies, make the protection of the interests of states and enterprises in arbitration institutions more effective, increase the knowledge of representatives of state bodies on arbitration and mediation mechanisms for resolving disputes.

The UNCITRAL secretariat has also developed and maintains a specialized website.

In 2022, at the 61st plenary session of the UN General Assembly, the Republic of Belarus was re-elected to UNCITRAL.

— Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH)

The HCCH was created in 1893 at the initiative of the Government of the Netherlands and currently is one of the oldest international organisations. The HCCH developed about 40 international conventions and protocols in the field of private international law that establish rules on jurisdiction, applicable law, the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments, as well as on legal and judicial cooperation.

Currently there are 85 state parties to the Conference and 1 regional economic integration organization.

The Republic of Belarus is a party to the Conference since July 12, 2001 and also is a party to 10 international treaties, as follows:

♦ Statute of the Hague Conference on Private International Law;
♦ Convention of 1 March 1954 on civil procedure;
♦ Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents;
♦ Convention of 15 November 1965 on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters;
♦ Convention of 4 May 1971 on the Law Applicable to Traffic Accidents;
♦ Convention of 18 March 1970 on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil or Commercial Matters;
♦ Convention of 25 October 1980 on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction;
♦ Convention of 25 October 1980 on International Access to Justice;
♦ Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption;
♦ Convention of 23 November 2007 on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus (general coordination) and the Ministry of Justice of Belarus (special issues) are responsible for cooperation with the HCCH.